Not Worth It
by BurnedIce
Summary: When Inuyasha and Kagome first encounter a new enemy, they are unaware of her alliance with their greatest enemy - and what danger she brings with her. Within a matter of weeks, they find themselves faced with the difficult task of not only defeating this new demon and Naraku, but also keeping Kagome alive long enough to do so.
1. Prologue

Silver ears swiveled this way and that as birdsong rang through the air, their owner casting his senses out as far as he was able to search for any sign of danger. His golden eyes repeatedly searched the trees, his back ramrod straight and his clawed hands folded carefully in his sleeves. Beside him, a young woman with hair the color of midnight and shining gray eyes that matched the stormy color of clouds before all hell broke loose in the heavens, studied his posture with amusement. Lightly, she let her slim hand rest on his red-clad arm. "Inuyasha," she murmured, "You don't have to keep such an intense eye out for danger. There's nothing around and you know it."

"Feh," the hanyou murmured, looking fairly annoyed. Nevertheless, he forced himself to relax, allowing himself to enjoy the scent that was pure Kagome. "I don't like this," he muttered, glancing at her. Their gazes met; his golden eyes struggled to keep that defensive wall she'd seen so many times, but failed as her own gaze gentled. "I don't like that Miroku and Sango aren't here to help keep an eye on things."

"Sango needs time to herself right now," Kagome said gently, grief momentarily flashing across her features. Inuyasha bit back a whine, not wanting her to know the amount of fear for her happiness he felt. His Kagome shouldn't need to feel such sadness. "And Miroku and Kirara are the only ones who can help her through her grief. Besides. You're the one who wouldn't let Shippo come with us."

Inuyasha scrunched his nose up at the reminder. Grunting, he rolled his eyes to the sky. "That runt is useless when it comes to a youkai attack, wench. He's better off playing with the other runts in the village."

Kagome's lips threatened to quirk up, creating a look that he found sexy as sin. Looking away, he muttered something she didn't catch under his breath, and she sighed in exasperation before shifting her yellow backpack and waving at the area around her. In an attempt to make him happy, she smiled her signature bright smile at him, amused when his tension vanished. "Inuyasha, you don't need to be so alert. We both know you can protect your shard detector without help."

He made a face. It had been a _long_ time since the hanyou had called her such a name. "Feh," he repeated, making her giggle. His ears swiveled around, locking on her in an attempt to hear the laughter clearer. She merely laughed again before reaching up to gently grasp a silver appendage. Unable to help himself, he leaned heavily into her touch as she rubbed and scratched. "You should be running from me, wench," he told her, moving so quickly she didn't realize what he was doing until it was already done. Gingerly, he held a finger between his sharp canines, just barely digging them in. Enough to put pressure, but not enough to hurt her. She sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, and he smirked. "I'm a terrifying inu-hanyou. I could kill you in an instant."

Unable to fight back a giggle, Kagome tugged in an attempt to free up her hand. He merely growled playfully and bit down a bit harder, giving a soft shake of the head like a dog in the middle of a tug-o-war session. "But you won't," she replied to his words, "I trust you not to, anyways." Her free hand raised to grasp the necklace that held most of the Shikon no Tama shards, all melded together in what looked like a just barely incomplete orb.

"Feh," the hanyou muttered back, releasing her finger. Before she could pull her hand away completely, though, he grabbed it, nipping at her fingertips with his fangs. Finally letting the miko have her hand back, he snorted softly, twitching his ears to listen for any signs of youkai that might make an appearance. He'd thought he'd smelt the Koga earlier that day, but was relieved when the ookami-youkai hadn't appeared.

He tilted his head thoughtfully. As of late, he'd noticed his youkai side had been a bit more prominent than usual. He was relieved that not even Kagome, who'd grown increasingly sensitive to the different types of _youki_ and even _reiki_, had noticed. The last thing he needed was his youkai side using her knowledge to his advantage to push past even the Tetsusaiga's power.

_Need to stop by that old fool's place,_ Inuyasha thought. _See if he knows how to fix my issue..._

Suddenly, a hand tugging lightly on his ear _again_ dragged him from his thoughts. Kagome fluttered her eyelashes with a look of fake innocence. "You're worrying me," she told him, her tone playful. "Shippo was right. You don't look right when you're thinking."

Smirking, the hanyou bared his fangs. He was in a good mood...perhaps it was the lack of annoying kitsune? Yeah, probably that, he thought. Shippo was a real mood killer half of the time. That on top of the fact that his wench was dressed in modern clothes that clung to her skin, showing off her curves, had put him in a mood that put Naraku at the back of his list of priorities.

Smirking right back at him, the miko gave his ear a tweak...and then blew over the tip, making him freeze in shock. Roaring with laughter, the miko turned and darted off, giving him a playfully challenging look. Inuyasha shook off his surprise, his lips curving up in a rare grin. So the wench wanted to try and get away, did she...?

He lunged after her with a playful growl, taking a mere moment to land in front of her. She skidded to a stop, nearly tripping and slamming into him, but he managed to catch her and set her upright. Smirking, he growled playfully. "Just where do you think you're going, wench?"

Her stormy eyes sparkled with laughter as she giggled, taking a step back. His lips quirked into a mischievous smirk, something he rarely did, and Kagome's smile vanished as she became wary. He took a step closer, bringing him mere breaths away, and Kagome's eyes became wide as he leaned closer, his lips nearly brushing her ear as he breathed, "You better run, _Ka-go-me._" His eyes took on a predatory look as he pulled back, and Kagome took one look at him, then turned and darted off, her face lighting with a smile again.

He gave her a few moments. She was, after all, a human woman. He ignored the throbbing behind his eyes, the eager growl his youkai side gave off at the idea of chasing his wench down, and then darted forward. He inhaled sharply, easily following her scent, his ears pricked forward to search for any sign of the miko.

After a few minutes of searching, however, he slowed to a stop. Her scent suddenly cut off, and, with how long he'd been hunting for himself and his friends, he knew that just didn't happen. He searched the air for any scents or sounds, growling under his breath now. This time, however, the growl held no playfulness. That had vanished with his Kagome's scent.

A sudden cry had him whirling around - in time for a wildly grinning miko to tackle him, sending both sprawling with her landing on top of him and driving the air from his chest. Despite immediately knowing who it was, instinct kicked in and he had her pinned beneath her in an instant as he gasped for breath. His fangs found themselves at her throat, and Kagome gulped in surprise. "I-Inuyasha?"

He froze for a moment and then ripped his teeth away from her, swiping his tongue over the sharp tips of his canines, which, to his surprise, had managed to prick her neck enough that there was a barely there taste of blood. Swearing under his breath, he rolled away. "Scared the hell out of me, wench. Couldn't smell ya."

Her scent, back from however she'd hidden it, held a hint of nerves as she explained cheerfully, "Miroku and I have been working on some different things when you're not around. I wanted to surprise you."

He snorted as he sat up while Kagome did the same thing, thoughtfully touching where his canines had pierced her skin. "Well you did pretty good, stupid. Thought I'd have to hunt down a youkai and get those shards pried out of your skeletal hands."

Kagome gave a soft laugh, shaking her head. He hesitated before reaching over to lightly pluck a leaf out of her hair, which was now messy and tangled from her tumble to the ground. "If I can get as good as I'm working on getting, then you won't have to worry about that," she said with a smug look upon her face.

The hanyou rolled his golden eyes to the sky - and then stopped, entire form going rigid as he took in the scent of a strange and new youkai. A low, dangerous growl began to rumble from his chest as he pricked his ears, listening intently. Grabbing her wrist, Inuyasha dragged Kagome up with him, growling, "Stay close."

Kagome's grin vanished and she fell quiet, ducking down to gather all of the arrows that had scattered from her quiver when she'd knocked him over. He kept a close eye on her as he tried to lock down the youkai's position, frustrated when he couldn't. "Do you know what it is?" Kagome said quietly, knocking an arrow to her bow after stuffing them into her quiver.

He shook his head, resting his hand lightly on Tetsusaiga's hilt. Before he could answer her, however, another new scent nearly smacked him off of his feet. Wheezing in surprise, he threw his arm up to cover his nose, growling as he breathed fresh air through his sleeve, fighting back the urge to gag at the taste that entered his mouth. Momentarily distracted, he was only brought back to his senses by the sound of Kagome coughing violently beside him. He jerked around to face her again, narrowing his eyes when she coughed harshly enough to double over and nearly fall to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she did so.

Quickly, he forgot about himself and shrugged his _haori_ off, wrapping it tightly around her and making sure her face was covered by the fire-rat cloth. His golden eyes searched her watery gray with concern, then searched the trees again, forcing himself to ignore the strange smell that threatened to drive him to his knees. "Come out," he growled, ears flicking this way and that as he tried to find the source again. "I know you're there."

"I suppose," a feminine voice purred as its owner stepped into view, "it helps that I was not attempting to disguise my location?" She tilted her head, and a strange shade of blue-gray hair spilled over one of her shoulders as her extremely pale blue eyes studied the hanyou and the miko, who continued to struggle despite the fire-rat cloth that separated whatever the smell was from the air she breathed.

He stepped in front of his wench, not hesitating to unsheathe Tetsusaiga now. Pointing the massive blade at the woman, he growled, "Who the fuck are you?"

"I," she purred, "am Awairyuu, a ryuu-youkai." Awairyuu smiled, showing sharply pointed teeth as she tapped a white fan against her chin, similar to how Kagura was fond of doing. As she did this, he noticed that the strange scent vanished, as if it had never been there. "A good friend of mine alerted me of the fact that you have shards of the Shikon no Tama...I want them." Her dark pupils became slits as she gave an icy smile. "I will give you one chance, hanyou. One chance to hand them over."

Inuyasha sneered at the ryuu. "As if we'd hand the shards over to _you_..."

Kagome weakly reached out, desperately grasping his sleeve, and concern flooded him when he realized she looked ready to pass out and had dropped his _haori_. "Inuyasha," she gasped, "I can't-"

His golden gaze became thunderous as he whirled back to face the youkai woman. She smiled innocently as he demanded, "What the hell did you do to her?"

Awairyuu grinned, eyes filling with laughter that made him curl his lips back in a snarl. "Oh, I am merely a youkai of rare poisons, half-breed; this one of particular prefers the human systems..." She let her gaze trail up his body and licked her lips. "When you are ready to hand over the shards of the Shikon no Tama, hanyou, you know where to find me. Perhaps we can have quite the _enjoyable_ time." As if she could care less for the conversation that had just occurred, she twirled away, a simple midnight-colored kimono floating around her.

Longing to go after the ryuu-youkai and rip her apart, he pulled his attention back on the desperate miko. "Kagome?" he murmured, hesitantly touching her back with uncertainty as she fought to re-capture her breath. Originally unable to suck in air, the miko was now gasping, her eyes just barely glazed over as she panted. He tightened the _haori_ around her nervously. "Wench?"

"I-I'm okay," she rasped, leaning heavily into him when he stepped closer. Hesitant, he sheathed Tetsusaiga and sniffed intently at her, struggling to find what was wrong but unable to. "I'm okay," she repeated, forcing a nervous smile onto her face. "I think...can we go back now, though? I need...I want to take a break to check on Sango and Miroku..."

Smelling the fear in her scent, he briefly rested his chin on her head in an attempt to comfort her. "Of course," he muttered. "Let's go back to the old hag's village. Let me know if something's wrong as soon as it happens though, got it?"

She weakly patted his shoulder. "Yes."

He studied her, then, ignoring her protests, he expertly swept her onto his back, glancing over his shoulder. Something about the youkai they'd encountered made him nervous. And because of that...he was determined to get away from the area as fast as possible. So, ignoring her demands to be put down so she could walk, Inuyasha tightly clasped his hands around her jean-clad thighs as she swathed her arms around his neck and took off at a dead run.

* * *

><p>"I've done what was requested," she announced as she practically danced out of the shadows. She swept her bangs from her face and smiled toothily, showing off her teeth without hesitation. "You will gift at least a quarter of the Shikon no Tama to me as promised, Naraku?"<p>

"Of course," the dark hanyou said smoothly. His red eyes studied the ryuu-youkai as she slid quietly to a halt mere feet away. "Any shards of the jewel that the miko holds will belong to you. And, as of currently, that is well over a quarter."

Awairyuu's eyes lit up. "Oh, really? And how do I know that I am not being tricked...?"

Naraku snorted under his breath. "I am not willing to create a rival out of a powerful ryuu-youkai. But remember, Awairyuu, you have not accomplished all that I request. The miko is not dead-"

"That will be taken care of," she interrupted smugly.

He glared at her for interrupting him before finishing sharply, "And the taiyoukai Sesshomaru has yet to be dealt with."

"Trust me," Awairyuu purred, "Sesshomaru will be dealt with as soon as I have the power of the Shikon no Tama at my fingertips. Patience is the key, Naraku. You should know this better than anyone." She tilted her head, tapping her fan to her lips. "Ah, it appears that the kaze-youkai has returned from whatever errend you sent her on. I wish you luck with her...attitude."

And without another word, Awairyuu seemed to melt into the shadows she'd exited, her eyes giving up a strange gleam as she thought of the Shikon no Tama and the power it would give her.

* * *

><p><strong>( Glossary )<strong>

**-youkai:** A youkai is a demon, of which there are multiple species. Also written as yōkai.

**-hanyou:** A hanyou is a half-demon. Half of their blood is human, half of their blood is demon.

**-miko:** A woman with spiritual powers.

**-kitsune:** A kitsune is a fox demon or spirit. These specifically are known for their tricks, or "magic".

**-haori:** A haori is the top "jacket" portion of the clothing Inuyasha wears, the fire-rat cloth he often lends Kagome. Or, at least, that's what I call it. I cannot for the life of me remember where I got the idea of it being a "haori" but...that's what I believe it to be. I wouldn't trust my vocabulary for the Japanese clothing.

**-youki:** Also written as yōki, it is the demonic aura that youkai produce.

**-reiki: **I saw this written in another fanfiction at one point (multiple, actually) and joined in. I'm not quite sure if this is a true term, but from what I can tell, it is the pure spiritual power that mikos produce.

**-inu:** Dog

**-ookami:** Wolf

**-ryuu:** Dragon

**-kaze:** Wind

**( A / N )**

Hello! *waves* I would be BurnedIce, call me Icey! This is my newest work, and I'm fairly proud of it so far. Looking forward to writing the next few chapters, that's for sure. Forgive me if my attempt at Japanese terms ends badly. I'm trying my best with the limited resources I have.


	2. The Inn Owner's Family

_Crack!_

Kagome winced at the familiar sound of a hand cracking across a cheek, but found herself smiling at the same time as Sango bellowed at Miroku, chewing him out for daring to grope her. From where he walked beside her, Inuyasha snorted, muttering complaints about their nosiness under his breath, and Shippo giggled softly on her shoulder. Kirara scampered past them with a look of annoyance, but nobody was truly bothered by the comforting familiarity of the argument.

"Good to hear them at it again," Kagome noted aloud, ruffling Shippo's hair affectionately. The kitsune laughed, smirking proudly at Inuyasha as he rubbed his cheek against hers. The hanyou gave a growl that had Kirara glancing back curiously, her red eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at him. Shippo ducked around to hide and Kagome smacked the inu-hanyou's arm, scolding. "Inuyasha!"

"Feh," he snarled under his breath, golden eyes flashing with annoyance. "Stupid runt!" Shippo merely stuck his tongue out at him, then took off running when Inuyasha's temper snapped and he lunged for the kitsune. Shippo cackled, jumping from Kagome's shoulder and taking off at a run for the trees.

Kagome laughed softly, scooping up Kirara to tiredly hug the neko. Kirara purred soothingly, nuzzling her before curling up against her shoulder, resting her head there to watch her mistress snarl furious words at the houshi she walked beside.

Over a month had passed since she and Inuyasha had encountered the strange ryuu-youkai known as Awairyuu, and nobody had seen her since then. It was as if they'd dreamed her up and she'd never existed. Nevertheless, they'd reported the new development to the rest of their friends. After a moment of conversing, the group had agreed it would be best to continue on, though Sango _had_ been grotesquely interested in the poisons Awairyuu had mentioned.

Kagome covered her mouth as she yawned, earning a concerned look from Kirara's large red eyes. Smiling, she ran her fingers through the twin-tail's fur and reassured, "I'm alright, Kirara, just a little tired. I'm fine."

"Oh, the houshi makes me so mad!" Sango hissed as she stomped forward to walk beside Kagome. She adjusted the Hiraikotsu on her back with a furious scowl, her dark eyes sparkling with her anger as Kagome giggled. "I ought to give him more than just a red mark on his face!"

Kagome reached to reassuringly pat her friend's arm. "Don't worry, Sango, he's just trying to make you feel better in his own weird way." She stroked Kirara's head as a red flash indicated Inuyasha leaping from one tree to another, chasing a still cackling kitsune. Her stormy eyes grew warm for a moment before she shoved a hand through her hair.

"I know," Sango moaned in frustration. "But does he have to do it by groping me?"

Kagome giggled again, then jumped when Shippo suddenly sprung from a tree and landed smack onf her head, followed closely by Inuyasha. Too stunned to move out of the way, she could only stare into equally surprised golden eyes before she was suddenly slammed into the ground, a heavy body laying atop of hers.

Sango burst into laughter, Miroku joining her when he saw what had happened, both laughing loudly. Kagome gasped for air as she kicked desperately at Inuyasha, her cheeks flushed red as she tried to kick him off of her. "Inuyasha!"

"Feh!" the inu-hanyou gasped as he scrambled away like she'd burned him. In an instant, he was on his feet, whirling away. Then he was stalking away, glaring at the snickering kitsune as he scrambled to his own little feet. Kagome shook her head from where she had sat up, then eagerly accepted Sango's offered hand. "Thanks," she mumbled as the taijiya continued to giggle.

"No problem," Sango replied firmly, smiling at the miko as she covered up another yawn. Arching an eyebrow, Sango pulled her to her feet. "Did you stay up too late studying those strange scrolls of yours again, Kagome?"

"Maybe," Kagome admitted with a sigh. "I can't help it. I have a test coming up; an important test, too. I'll have to convince Inuyasha to stop by the Bone-Eater's Well..."

"No chance, bitch," Inuyasha shouted over his shoulder. Kagome's eyes flashed and she let her glare land on his back. As if sensing it, his ears flattened against his head an instant before she snapped "osuwari"; he went down as soon as the word left her lips, yelping in surprise, and she went back to checking a gash on her hand. Frowning, she shook blood from it, then reached behind her to dig in her backpack, searching for something to cover it up with. Inuyasha growled from where they had left him, simply walking past the hanyou with his face buried in the ground.

Finally having caught up from where Sango had left him, Miroku paused to shake his head at Inuyasha before falling into step beside the two women. "If you need to go home for a few days, we can stop, Kagome," he said, "I believe some of us are needing a break anyhow. I, for one, would like to take a few days off of making sure there's no youkai preparing to attack us."

"Definitely," Sango agreed. "We do need a few days to orientate ourselves and figure out which way we should head next. I'm sure Inuyasha needs a break, too, even if he says otherwise. How about you, Shippo?"

"I want to play with some of the vilage kids again," Shippo agreed, "You guys are boring after a while."

"Wow, thanks, Shippo," Kagome teased, ruffling the boy's red hair when he climbed onto her shoulder. He giggled, making himself comfortable, and Inuyasha scowled as he appeared, having managed to finally get up. He growled under his breath, glaring irritably at Kagome, who merely ignored him.

The group fell into a semi-comfortable silence. Every now and then, Miroku and Inuyasha ended up on the receiving end of glares, but without another moment of violene, they came across a village. "I believe," Miroku said, glancing at the sky, "I will utilize my lovely skills to get us a comfortable room for the night. Is that suitable for you lovely ladies?"

"Don't scam them," Sango pleaded, "Pay them like a normal person, houshi!"

"I agree," Kagome said firmly, adjusting the strap of her backpack thoughtfully. "I don't feel like watching innocent inn owners being scammed, so just pay them. Please." Inuyasha snorted, remaining silent about the matter, though Shippo nodded his agreement as Kirara hauled herself up onto Kagome's other shoulder, rubbing her cheek against the miko's.

Miroku almost seemed to pout, but then smiled. "Of course I will pay the owners of the inn we hope to stay at! Why would you think otherwise, my dear Sango?"  
>She shot him a look, then turned her face forward, her back rigid with her annoyance towards the houshi. Kagome giggled softly, pushing her hair from her stormy eyes, then glanced at Inuyasha, who was steadily glaring ahead of them, determined to pretend she didn't exist for the time being. She sighed; it had been a <em>long<em> time since she'd used the beads on him, but she was tired and not up to dealing with his name-calling at the moment.

The group easily ignored the stares and whispers that accompanied their entering the village. Instinctively, Kagome stuck close to Inuyasha, whose glares seemed to do the trick when a particularly nasty comment was said about either of them, especially when Kagome's choices of clothing were commented on or the fact that she carried two youkai on her shoulders.

Eventually, they reached the largest and nicest inn there. Kagome shook her head, glancing at Miroku. "What happened to not scamming us inside, Miroku?"

"I'm not," he protested, digging in the front of his robes after shifting his staff into his left hand. He pulled out a small pouch, shaking it slightly so that it jingled. "See? I was going to pay. You just had to give me a chance to pull the money out, my lady." Inuyasha growled softly at him, but nobody payed attention to him. Instead, Miroku approached the inn, where an elderly looking man had appeared, watching them with wary eyes. Miroku gave him a signature charming smile...that vanished immediately, his violet eyes suddenly studying the inn. "Excuse me, my friend," he said, suddenly stowing the money pouch away. "But I sense a youkai in your home..."

Sango's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?" she hissed, scowling and placing a hand on her hip. Kirara jumped from Kagome's shoulder to hers, her fur puffing up as she nuzzled against Sango's cheek. "He even had the money out!"

"No, he's telling the truth this time," Inuyasha said. A breeze ruffled his silver hair, making it ripple, and he wrinkled his nose. Flattening his ears, he sneezed. "The place reeks of the smell of youkai, Sango."

Kagome sighed softly, disappointment flashing across her face. "Great. I wanted to take a nap before we ate supper tonight..."

"You can sleep after the youkai's dealt with, wench," the hanyou retorted. His golden eyes searched the building, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. Realizing the situation was serious, Sango lightly grasped the Hiraikotsu. "This one's gonna be a nasty one..."

Shippo reassuringly patted Kagome's flushed cheek, smiling as he attempted to comfort her.

The inn owner glanced nervously over his shoulder, his lips pursed with a fearful look. "I, um, sir, I think you're wrong, there is no youkai here..."

Inuyasha curled a lip, storming forward. "Don't lie, I smell the bastard. Where is it?"

"Don't worry," Miroku added, smiling reassuringly at the inn's owner. "We won't let the youkai know you told us if it's holding something against you. I swear."

The owner took a deep breath, then bowed respectfully to the monk, whispering apologetically, "I'm sorry, but the...the youkai, it has my wife and son. I was...it threatened to eat them if I let anyone in. Can you help them, houshi? Taijiya?" he added, noticing Sango's presence. Kagome and Inuyasha, however, he glanced between anxiously, uncertain of what to make of them.

"Of course we'll help," Kagome said firmly, stepping forward to stand beside Inuyasha, who glared at the human with a challenging look. Lightly, she tugged on his sleeve until he stopped, then smiled. "What kind of youkai is it? Do you know how strong it may be?" When the hanyou beside her glanced her way, she shook her head. There were no shards of the Shikon no Tama that she could sense.

"It's an oni, I think," the inn owner said shakily, glancing at her with a confused look in his eyes, as if he didn't understand _why_ such a strangely dressed woman would be standing so close to a hanyou. "I...I am uncertain of how strong you would find it."

"Alright then, thank you for telling us," Kagome answered smoothly, keeping the smile on her face as she again tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve, this time to get him to move with her. And move with her he did; the hanyou stuck by her side as their group strode past the inn owner, ducking inside the building to find the youkai and deal with it.

"Well, at least we'll get a free room tonight," Miroku commented lightly.

Sango gave him a dirty look as Kirara hopped to the ground from her shoulder. "Shut up, Miroku."

Shippo tilted his head as he sniffed the air, attempting to copy Inuyasha's sense of smell as he whispered, "It smells bad in here."

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose in disgust, his ears flattening against his head. "Runt's right. Smells like oni for sure. It's gonna be a nasty one if we're trying to save some humans, too." He glanced at Kagome, who was mere inches away from him even after reaching the building. "You get them out, wench. Let us deal with the youkai. Shippo can help ya."

"Got it," Kagome said firmly, grasping the bow she'd slung around her free shoulder. She reached back to check her quiver, making sure there were plenty of arrows should they be needed, then pursed her lips, swiping her darkened bangs from her face. "Let's hurry. I hope the woman and child are safe..."

Inuyasha snorted, dropping his hand onto the Tetsusaiga's hilt as Miroku dug around for some sutras. Sango shifted the Hiraikotsu, readying it for battle, then gave a nod to show she was ready. Without another word, they started forward, Inuyasha leading the way with his sharp nose.

In no time, they reached the room the oni hid in. Inuyasha curled his lip in disgust, pausing to hide his nose behind his sleeve. "Ugh," he muttered, trying to smell past the stench of youkai. But he was unable to and so, without further hesitation, he slammed the shoji door open.

In an instant, Kagome was dragging Shippo from her shoulder, hiding his face against her as her own filled with horror and Kirara hissed. Inuyasha snarled viciously, looking furious, and Sango gave a soft gasp. Miroku was the only one who seemed calm, though his violet eyes glinted dangerously.

The oni paused in what it was doing to sneer at them, its lips pulling back in annoyance. Beneath its filthy form was the broken body of a dead woman, her clothes in shreds as she stared blankly at the ceiling of the room, her mouth open in a horrendous silent scream despite being silenced permanently. Massive tears ran along her body, blood soaking the floor around her, but the oni didn't seem to care about the fact that she was dead; in fact, it simply continued as if they hadn't interrupted.

Not too far from the woman's body and the oni, Kagome realized, was the woman's son. He, too, stared blankly at nothing with glazed eyes, his lolling and gray-tinged tongue hanging from his mouth. The boy had been ripped entirely in half, most of the skin peeled from his face to reveal the flesh beneath.

Kagome gagged, fighting down the urge to vomit as tears pricked her eyes. The oni, deciding they wouldn't just leave, staggered to its feet and _roared_, glowering viciously at them. Inuyasha snapped into action, unsheathing his Tetsusaiga, readying the blade with a deadly look upon his face. "You bastard," he hissed from between gritted fangs.

The oni simply sneered, lunging forward with a lumbering step, and Kagome reeled backwards, stumbling as she did so. Shippo clung to her desperately as she unshouldered her bow, fumbling for an arrow. Inuyasha moved to swing his sword, but was cut off when the oni suddenly _jumped_. It roared again, slamming its feet down on top of him, but the hanyou scrambled to safety, darting out of the way in time. Sango moved to swing Hiraikotsu, but the oni simply threw an arm out, catching both her and Miroku in the middle and sending them flying back into a wooden panel with a sharp _crack!_.

And then it turned on the miko. Kagome frantically knocked her arrow, face paling when the oni let a grin cross its ugly face. It wanted to repeat its actions on the wife of the inn owner on her. But, she told herself as Shippo squealed when it lunged forward, the other woman hadn't been a miko either. And she hadn't had a pissed off hanyou protector.

Kagome sucked in a deep breath, then let her power flow into the arrow, aiming it at the oni's eye. When she released it, it slammed through the oni's head with enough force to send it staggering back. Only a few seconds later, it dropped dead to the ground, an arrow cackling with spiritual energy lodged in its left eye.

Inuyasha materialized beside her silently, sheathing the Tetsusaiga as he quietly sniffed at her, checking to make sure she was unharmed. Sango immediately turned her attention on the unconscious Miroku, anxious for the houshi, and Kirara scrambled out from underneath a piece of the shoji door that had fallen to the floor.

Shuddering, Kagome turned away from the sight of the dead woman and child in the room, one hand moving to grasp Inuaysha's fire-rat haori for comfort. Black spots ran before her vision; the miko was utterly exhausted from before the attack and using her powers to kill the oni, which was now turning into ash.

"K-Kagome?" Sango stammered, looking terrified. Kagome glanced back at her. "Can you...? Miroku, he's not waking up, but he's breathing. I can't tell if he's just unconscious or hurt badly..."

Kagome staggered over to her, more than aware of the hard golden gaze on her back. Shippo scampered from her shoulder to huddle beside Kirara, his small green eyes round with shock and fear. Gentle, she knelt beside Sango and Miroku, checking the houshi's head with shaking hands. "I think he's just unconscious. Give him a bit, Sango, he'll wake up. Kirara can help you get him out of here." Bile rose in her throat when she glanced over her shoulder to look for the neko and she caught sight of the dead child. "I need to-"

Without so much as a backwards glance, Kagome cut off and darted from the room, unable to stand being in it anymore. She'd seen the dead in such ways before, she knew, but there was something about witnessing the youkai still in the process of creating such a disaster...

Sucking in ragged breaths, the miko stopped when she got outside, fighting the urge to lose the small amount she'd eaten that morning. The inn owner jumped when she appeared, then gave her a hopeful look. "Is my family...?"

"I-I'm sorry," Kagome choked out. "They're not...the oni, we were too..."

She was unable to finish, but the inn owner understood. Silence filled the air for a split second, then was broken by the sound of mournful weeping.

* * *

><p>Lightly, he ran his claws through the miko's silky raven locks, his golden eyes dark with fury. Kagome had curled up beside him, seeking comfort desperately after the day they'd had. Her face still showed the dried tear tracks, her lips chapped. Not too far away, Sango slept beside the unconscious Miroku, having passed out despite her attempts to remain awake. Shippo had curled up with Kirara in a ball of fur.<p>

Despite all that had happened, the inn owner had offered them a room free of charge, and out of desperation for a safe place to rest and recover, they'd accepted it, making sure it was far from the room the oni had resided in.

Inuyasha glanced down at the exhausted Kagome beside him. She was deep in the world of sleep, her hands tucked under her head as a pillow. His gaze warmed just barely as he tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. She murmured in her sleep as he pulled his hand back.

Suddenly, Miroku moaned, violet eyes opening. Inuyasha glanced over, growling softly in a warning for him to keep quiet. "Finally awake, huh?" he muttered.

Miroku grimaced in pain, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. He glanced over at Sango, who lay beside him, a frown crossing his face momentarily. "Is anyone hurt? That oni got in a nasty blow...I'm assuming I've been out for a while."

"A couple hours. Sango's got a few scratches, but that's it." Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome again, continuing to run his claws through her hair. She mumbled something, nuzzling closer, and he snorted softly. Miroku studied the two and Inuyasha shot him a glare. "Not a word, houshi."

Miroku smiled slightly, amused by the hanyou's reaction. "Not saying anything, Inuyasha." He waved towards Kagome, then grimaced, clutching his head. Dizziness made him nearly topple over for a moment before he said with a rasp in his voice, "She's...different. Since we've rejoined you. She's been a bit more irritable, a little more eager to use that necklace of yours." Inuyasha's ears flicked and the houshi knew immediately that he was more than aware of this. "Inuyasha...you told us what happened...that you came across a youkai known as Awairyuu...but did anything else happen? You didn't go into any details..."

Inuaysha contemplated this for a few moments. "There was a moment," he said finally, "when there was something in the air that choked her. I don't think it did anything to her, though...I gave her my haori. It reeked pretty badly. Nearly went down myself before it went away."

"So not that then," Miroku murmured. "Perhaps it is as Sango suggested earlier. Kagome did stay up rather late the last few nights...she's been studying hard. I assume we'll need to stop by Kaede's soon, then."

Inuyasha groaned softly. "Damn it! I don't want to stop! For all we know, while she's taking that stupid test thing, Naraku could have found the rest of the Shikon no Tama..."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Miroku soothed before cracking a yawn, carefully laying back down. "I believe I will go back to resting now, my hanyou friend. I am dizzy; it isn't a particularly fun sensation seeing the world spin around."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, waiting until the houshi's breathing had slowed before returning his attention completley back onto Kagome. Slowly, he brushed his claws against her cheek, aware that any wrong movement could wake her up and send him to the ground. The miko didn't stir, however, merely snuggled even closer if it were at all possible.

It was a few hours later that her eyes suddenly snapped open with a small cry escaping her lips, awakening the dozing hanyou in a flash. His golden eyes darted over to make sure the others weren't awake yet; it wasn't even dawn yet! "Kagome?" he said softly, hesitantly touching her arm. Throughout her sleep, she'd somehow managed to twine his sleeve between her fingers, shifting so that her face was buried against his leg. Silently, the miko sat up, her entire slight form trembling. Concern for her made him growl softly, dragging her into his lap. It wasn't like the others were up to witness it anyways... "Oi! What's wrong?"

She shuddered, her hands tightly grasping his haori as she raised her ashen face to look at his. Her gray eyes looked almost haunted, as if she'd been having nightmares... Realization struck him and with a tensed hesitation, he ran his fingers down her spine, letting his claws trail across her covered back. "Wench?"

"Sorry," she whispered, aware of their sleeping companions. She shook her head, trying to clear the disturbing images from her head. Her grip tightened on his fire-rat robes, her knuckles becoming white as she did so. "I just..."

He huffed softly, his ears flicking this way and that as he tried to determine if she was alright. "You just what? You better have a damn good reason for scaring the hell out of me," he said gruffly. He wanted to be angry; she'd woken him from his sleep, damn it! And he rarely slept to begin with! But he couldn't, not with her face like it was.

"Sorry," she repeated. He wanted to shake some words into her. He couldn't make her feel better if she didn't tell him what was wrong. So, silently, deciding she didn't want to talk about what had made her wake up, he huffed softly, tucking her head under his chin. And then, the hanyou began to rumble quietly in his chest, just loud enough so that she felt and heard it, but he didn't wake the others. After a few minutes, she relaxed under the comforting sound, winding some silver strands around her fingers. "That child," she said suddenly, speaking quietly. "Do you think he felt it?"

So _that_ was what had been bothering his miko. Continuing the soothing sound, he mumbled, "I dunno. Can't really answer that. But probably just a little bit, not enough to torture him for a long time before we got here or anything though." He lightly swept some raven colored hair from her face. "You don't live long after loosing half of your body. Don't know how it is back at your weird place, but you don't here."

Kagome nodded quietly, her eyes already drooping tiredly. "I hope he didn't," she murmured. She cracked a rather large yawn and a new wave of concern washed over the hanyou.

"Go back to sleep, woman," he said gruffly, "And don't have anymore nightmares. Got it? I don't feel like getting purified because something scared you again. That fucking hurt the last time you did that."

Kagome grimaced at the memory. She'd had a particularly nasty nightmare involving Naraku one night and had been so frightened upon waking up that her _reiki_ had spiked, sending Inuyasha human and poor Shippo out of the hut screaming that his tail was on fire. "I'll try," she mumbled, then curled up against his chest, smiling to herself when his grip around her tightened. And the miko knew. She wouldn't have nightmares now. Not when she was circled in her protector's arms.

Silence fell over the group as they returned their restful state.

* * *

><p><strong>( Glossary )<strong>

**-osuwari: **"Sit" or "Sit boy". The command Kagome uses on Inuyasha.

**-oni:** ogre

* * *

><p><strong>( AN )**

So...gruesome scene, yes? Feeling kinda bad for the inn owner and everyone else, too. I hope you enjoyed! ;)

* * *

><p><strong>( Reviews )<strong>

**IndigoArcher89:** We shall see if he succeeds or not. Lol. ;)

**Larissa:** I'm glad you think so!

**Anom:** And update I shall. Enjoying writing this one, that's for sure.


	3. Chilly and Rainy Day

Kagome quietly nibbled at the roll that had been handed to her by Shippo, her appetite not really all there as she watched the others practically inhale their breakfast. After the slaying of the oni the day before, nobody had really felt like eating, and today their bodies were feeling it. She, on the other hand, felt quite the opposite. But, with Inuyasha's sharp golden gaze on her, she forced herself to at least try to eat.

Taking a bite of carefully seasoned rice porridge, Sango tilted her head, her dark hair still mussed from sleep. All of their hair was a mess, Kagome realized with amusement. At least, the humans' hair. As always, Inuyasha's hair was perfect, not a single strand out of place, and Shippo's, too. Kagome thoughtfully put her roll down, raking her fingers through the tangled mess. How was it that the two who could care less what their hair looked like got the good hair, the hair that didn't become a rat's nest if they didn't brush it and she was stuck with her own?

Inuyasha, having finished his food in a matter of moments, gave a soft growl from where he sat beside her, making it so that only she and the kitsune that sat in her lap as he devoured his own food could hear him. "Oi. Kagome." She glanced over, gray eyes tired, and he noticed immediately. She was still tired after the day before; he couldn't blame her. She'd had a restless night, even after he'd let her fall asleep in his lap. "You still gotta do that stupid test thing?"

Kagome's lips curved up. "Yes," she told him, offering Shippo her roll. The kitsune shot her a grateful look before practically inhaling it, happy to have more to eat. "I'm sorry, but it's a really big one, too...it'll help me determine what college I get accepted to, Inuyasha." At his confused look, she explained, "A college is another school that I'll hopefully go to after the one I'm at now. I can choose certain classes that allow me to get the job I want. I'm going to put it on hold until we've defeated Naraku, though. I don't have to go right away. I'll wait until after Naraku's dead."

His ears twitched, a frown crossing his face. The miko wasn't oblivious to the annoyed look that appeared on his face, and even giggled at it before proceeding to wipe Shippo's mouth free of crumbs, scolding, "You need to eat cleaner, Shippo. We can't always clean up after you, you know. You'll have to do it yourself eventually."

Shippo fluttered his eyelashes innocently, green eyes sparkling. Kagome smiled warmly at the little kitsune kit, pressing a kiss to his forehead before saying thoughtfully, "It'll only take me a day or two, Inuyasha, I promise. I've already studied as much as I can, so I'll only need to be there for the test itself."

"Fine," the hanyou growled, rolling his eyes when Kagome beamed, her gray gaze sparkling excitedly. "But only until the second you're done with the thing, wench. While you're doing those things, Naraku's getting more pieces of the Shikon no Tama and making it more likely that we'll die in the fight against him. He's already got most of it; there's only a few shards left to find." He clenched his jaw, pinning his ears against his head. He liked that thought just as much as he liked the thought of giving up his demonic powers. Especially if she was the victim.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," Kagome said with a broad smile, grateful.

Miroku set aside his empty bowl, grinning. "Feeling charitable today, Inuyasha?" He shot the houshi a dark look, daring him to say anything else, but Miroku simply turned to Sango and said, "Very rare, don't you agree?"

"Very," Sango agreed. She set aside her own bowl, then popped her back, arching it. "Alright, let's get a move on if you guys are done eating, too. I'm sure Kagome has a limited amount of time before that...test...happens. And we're running out of supplies, too, so we need to get some anyways."

Inuyasha flicked his ears, standing swiftly and smoothly slipping Tetsusaiga into its place at his hip. He watched intently as Kagome set Shippo aside before hauling herself up, shoving a hand through her messy hair as she searched for her shoes, backpack, bow, and quiver, making sure she was alright before turning his attention elsewhere.

In no time, the group was ready to travel. Adjusting her backpack's straps so that they weren't twisted, Kagome glanced up. "So are we running or are we walking? The test is the day after tomorrow and from the looks of it, if we run, we can reach Kaede's by this evening..."

"I believe it best if we run," Miroku said thoughtfully, studying Kagome as she glanced at him. "You look ill, Kagome," he added defensively when she frowned. "You have circles beneath your eyes...did you get enough sleep last night? As Sango mentioned yesterday, you've been up late doing your studies recently, and you hardly ate anything this morning... You can take tomorrow to catch up on that sleep."

"Good idea," Sango said, nodding her agreement. "You need rest, Kagome, or you could get hurt in the next battle we fight. Miroku, Shippo, and I can take Kirara; Inuyasha, you can carry Kagome like you usually do. We'll stop for some lunch later, then hope Kaede made enough supper for all of us...or at least two humans, a kitsune, and a neko, as I doubt you two will be staying in this time for supper."

"What can I say?" Kagome sighed, "Okaa-san makes the most amazing food." Only she didn't miss the agreeing grunt Inuyasha gave as they walked outside into the fresh air. The hanyou inhaled sharply, trying to determine what the weather would be like for the day. "Shouldn't have any problems," he grunted, studying the clear sky. "But it's gonna be chilly tomorrow. The snows are going to start coming soon."

"Lovely," Kagome said sarcastically, tugging her shirt further down over her jeans-clad hips, _very_ aware of the violet eyes that watched from close behind her. "Miroku," she said in a deadly tone, "I swear to God, if you touch me even just a little bit, I will unleash Inuyasha's holy wrath upon you. Got that?"

Aware of the golden eyes glaring furiously at him, Miroku threw his hands up in surrender. "Loud and clear, Kagome. I will refrain from touching your lovely behind for the time being - I mean, for now and all of time," Miroku corrected hastily when Inuyasha's lips pulled back in a warning snarl. Sango let her Hiraikotsu fall against his head with a sharp crack as she smiled faintly at her friend, silently apologizing for the hentai's behavior.

Grumbling, Inuyasha swept the miko up onto his back. "C'mon, wench," he muttered. Kagome merely beamed innocently at him and swathed her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder as the others prepared to take off, too.

* * *

><p>Shivering violently, Kagome hugged herself as soon as the hanyou set her down inside the warm house, silently thanking the heavens for the heating system in the Higurashi household. "Osuwari," she growled when Inuyasha simply shook himself like a dog, spraying even more water all over her. He yelped as he went down with the sound of a small explosion, cracking the wood beneath their feet.<p>

"What the hell, bitch?" he barked, ears flat against his head as he scowled up at her.

"Osuwari," she repeated. Then she snapped as she removed her shoes, her teeth chattering, "I thought you said that it was going to be nice today and would be chilly tomorrow! You could have mentioned the incoming freezing rain!"

Inuyasha growled as he shoved himself to his feet, stuffing his hands in his no longer damp sleeves. She gave him a nasty look, as if blaming him for being warm when she wasn't. Before he could answer her with a snarl, however, Kagome's mother appeared, her dark eyes wide with surprise. "Oh," Kaori Higurashi gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You look frozen stiff, Kagome! Why don't you go draw a bath while I finish up supper, and you get warm before coming down and eating-"

"No, thanks," Kagome muttered, giving Inuyasha a final glare before gently pushing past her mother. "I'm not hungry, although a bath does sound nice." Inuyasha's ears flattened at her comment and he opened his mouth to protest before flicking it shut when Kaori patted his shoulder, giving him a warning look that told him speaking would merely result with his face in the ground.

The second the miko was upstairs, however, he spat, "Can ya tell her to stop with the osuwari business? She's gonna break me in half at this point. And I didn't do anything this time. Or the last few times either."

Kaori sighed. "She may be catching the flu again...she gets cranky when she does...but I'll speak with her, Inuyasha. Why don't you join me in the kitchen and try what I cooked? It's a new recipe, I haven't made it before and the others aren't here to try it..."

After a quick shower upstairs, Kagome didn't bother to go back down, merely ducked into her room and let the door click shut behind her. She felt admittedly guilty for sending the inu hanyou to the ground twice in under a minute again though she decided it was better than three days before when she'd done it more then twenty times - the hanyou had left to supposedly speak with Kikyo, and when he'd returned, she'd been in such a bad mood that so much as a look from him had earned himself punishment - and moved on quickly. Drying her hair with the towel after dressing herself, Kagome chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. So maybe she owed her protector an apology, especially after the night before...

Yep. She'd apologize and pray to God the hanyou let her sleep like he had the night before. She didn't have any energy whatsoever to deal with nightmares again.

Stomach growling but having no wish to eat, the miko threw herself backwards onto her bed, curling up into a ball on her side, letting her hair fall into her face carelessly. She scrubbed a hand down her face before hugging her knees to her chest, listening quietly to the sounds of muffled voices downstairs and the clinking of dishes as her mother fed herself and the unending appetite of Inuyasha.

Her eyes traveled to the books on the other side of the room before she closed her eyes. She needed to go over her studying at least one more time, but she didn't have the energy to get up and get the books. She simply wanted to sleep and hopefully get rid of the small headache that was beginning to form behind her eyes.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. She glanced over, cheeks tinting red when she saw who exactly had entered the room. Inuyasha looked a lot more calm then the last seconds she'd seen him, she realized. Probably with the help of her mother and food. They'd decided against stopping for lunch when the rains had started, and lack of food made the hanyou just as irritable as she was at the moment. His golden eyes were wary as he studied the tired looking miko for a few seconds before offering a plate of food he'd brought up with him. "Uh, your mom said to bring it up for you to eat," he said, tone gruff.

No she hadn't, Kagome thought, taking in the way he avoided looking at her. He'd brought it up on his own. Smiling faintly to herself, she forced herself to sit up, waiting until he finally met her gaze. Though not particularly hungry, the miko held her hand out and he eagerly handed over the plate, looking relieved as she forced herself to take a bite. Hesitant, he sat on the bed beside her, not hesitating to toss Tetsusaiga lightly to the floor. He had no need of it in this place of safety.

Kagome took a deep breath, then glanced up at him from under her lashes, gray eyes gleaming with a strange light that the hanyou wasn't used to. Wary, he readied himself to dive off the bed for Tetsusaiga's safety until she said suddenly, "I'm sorry for saying, err, you know. It's not your fault that it's raining."

He eyed her cautiously as she set the plate aside. "Feh," he muttered, "Whatever. Just eat." She hadn't eaten a full meal since their stop for lunch the day before. And he'd make damn sure she ate a full meal this time.

Kagome made a face, glaring at the plate of food she'd set beside her. "I'm good. I'm not really all that - umph!" He silenced her by shoving a piece of food into her mouth, golden eyes taking on a threatening light. Grumbling, she made herself chew and swallow. "Hungry," she finished, scowling lightly at him though it held no real anger. She could see the concern in the droop of his ears. Unable to make up any lies thanks to his sense of smell, she sighed and said, "I just want to go to bed. My head hurts a bit."

The silver ears disappeared into his mane. "You gettin' sick, woman?" Kagome fought back a smile at his lack of name-calling. He didn't want to risk another trip into his second home - otherwise known as the ground.

"I hope not," she answered with a sigh of relief as he finally just took the plate and set it on the floor beside the bed, moving back to lean against the wall with his hands folded in his lap. "I can't afford to get sick now...not with that test coming up and our travels..." She bit her lip thoughtfully as she stood, avoiding the plate to shut the light off. Thankful for the moonlight shining into the room through her window, she easily made her way back to the bed without hitting anything, simply wanting sleep and comfort again. She hesitated after climbing on the bed, then wordlessly held her hands out towards him like she was a child wanting to be picked up. "Please?" she pleaded when he grunted in surprise. "I won't be able to sleep otherwise."

He sighed heavily, reaching out and pulling the exhausted miko into his lap. "Fine, wench," he muttered, carefully arranging his sleeves so that they covered her and kept her warm. She mumbled a quiet word of thanks and snuggled against his chest in relief, closing her eyes. He pricked his ears forward, falling into his alert and cautious mode. There may have been no youkai in this world, but there were other dangers.

The rain pounded ever harder against the windows.

* * *

><p>With a small cry, Kagome raced downstairs, a hanyou hot on her heels with an annoyed look on his face as she grabbed her bag and shoved her feet into a pair of shoes. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but they're probably reviewing for my test today! I have to go!"<p>

He growled, glaring viciously at her as he sidled between her and the door. "You're sick, wench, you're not going anywhere. Especially if you're walkin'."

She glanced at the clock near the door, panicked. She was already late and getting past a stubborn hanyou wasn't any easier. "Please?" she pleaded, lightly grasping the front of his haori and trying to shake him gently. He was a wall, however, and didn't move an inch. "Please, Inuyasha, this'll help me! I'll get some food on the way home and eat, I swear, but I don't have time for breakfast this morning, okay?"

He sounded like a mother hen, she decided when he growled, "You didn't eat at all yesterday. No. You need to at least eat if you're insisting on going to that stupid place."

She was relieved the hanyou was eager to make sure she was okay, that he cared enough to make sure she was healthy, but why couldn't he do it when she wasn't running late? She'd been tired enough to sleep straight through him reaching over to break her blaring alarm clock with her still cradled in his lap. How she'd missed that annoying sound, she wasn't sure. But since a certain inu hanyou hadn't woken her up, she found herself frustrated beyond belief and running _seriously late!_

"I will say it," she finally threatened, desperate. He cringed, and she felt a brief flash of guilt before he stepped out of the way, glaring furiously at her. If looks could kill, she thought as she slid the front door open and took off at a dead run for the steps that led up to the shrine that she had once called home...then nearly stopped to contemplate this. Forcing herself to run, waving a goodbye to her protector as she pounded down the stairs, she found herself smiling at the realization. She loved the Feudal Era and some of its residents. This place just didn't have the charm that it did.

She made it to the school in record timing, wheezing for air as she slowed to walk through the front gate of the high school. She hadn't been in the upper grades for very long, but she knew better than to be late. If you were going to be late, you might as well not come at all. Gulping down oxygen, she glanced at the massive clock that towered above the school. She still had close to ten minutes before the first bell rang, so the miko found herself looking for her three modern time friends. She'd been away for nearly a month without returning.

"Is that Kagome?"

"It _is_."

Kagome's lips curved into a slight smile as she turned on her heel to face her friends, waving a greeting as Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka all hurried towards her with eager eyes, probably tripping over themselves in a rush to hear any news about the "two-timer" Kagome was supposedly dating. "Hey, guys," she greeted with a wheeze, still trying to catch her breath. She huffed in annoyance. She couldn't seem to catch it, and it was seriously annoying.

"Are you okay?" Ayumi said softly, eyes full of a serious concern. "You don't look so good today, Kagome..."

Grimacing at the thought of whatever her grandfather had come up this time, Kagome forced herself to smile reassuringly at them. "I'm fine. Perfectly fine. I feel a bit under the weather, yeah, but it's better than I've been for a while, so I thought I'd come prepare for that test tomorrow."

"That's good," Yuka said, swiping some hair impatiently from her face. She smiled affectionately at her friend. "We've missed you...and so has Hojo." She winked and Kagome moaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. Yuka arched her eyebrows. "What? Not in the mood?"

"Not really, no," Kagome admitted with a sigh, ignoring the continued panting for breath. She'd probably just got a little cold due to the rain. It certainly wouldn't surprise her if she began coughing... She hugged herself, glancing at the cloudy sky. More rain? Seriously? And it was cooler...Inuyasha had mentioned the first snows of the year would be coming up soon..."Come on, why don't we head to class?" She smiled at them. "We can catch up during lunch."

When lunch _did_ come around, Kagome found herself bored out of her mind. Yuka and Eri blathered on and on about which person in the school was dating someone else, which person they were seeing, and what person was pregnant this week. Kagome made a face at the last thought. They were only seventeen, or just a bit older and younger! Of course, she ran around a time where girls younger then them had massive families, but... "Lovely," she said interrupting Yuka's tale about some girl who'd supposedly had sex with a man at a bar. She felt sick at the thought. She didn't want to talk about such things anymore.

Ayumi, who'd been sipping quietly at the drink in her hand, tilted her head, taking in Kagome's pale appearance. "Are you sure you're okay to be here today, Kagome? You don't look well..."

"I'm fine," Kagome said waving her friend's concern off, glancing at the uneaten food before her. She turned her gaze away from it, even as her stomach gave a sharp pain. She was hungry, yes. But the idea of eating made her want to vomit.

As expected, the conversation was suddenly turned on her. "So," Eri mused, "How's that boyfriend of yours, Kagome? Any luck and change of his attitude? The last time we saw you, you said he ran off to that girlfriend of his..."

"He's fine," Kagome said, glaring sharply at Eri before propping her chin on her hand. "He actually tried to stop me from coming to school this morning, so..." And had let her sleep in his lap the night before to help her avoid the nightmares. And had tried to shove food down her throat. She stuck her tongue out at that last one. "He's not so bad anymore, you know. He's been pretty good lately." _Because Kikyo hasn't shown up and tried to do anything since two weeks ago...although...she does seem to be getting better at not killing us._

"That's good," Yuka mused. "He's kinda hot, by the way. Thought I'd let you know."

Kagome gave a wry smile. "I'm well aware of that, Yuka. Thank you for reminding me." She glanced towards the clock, sinking her teeth into her lower lip. How had she ever liked holding these conversations with these girls? She hated them! She'd rather be back with her other friends, discussing what to do next about finding Naraku...something that they needed to do, now that she thought about it. She'd have Inuyasha go back with her for the afternoon. She'd stop and get everyone some treats before she went...

Eri waved a hand in Kagome's face. "Earth to Kagome! You alive over there?"

"Leave her alone," Ayumi said quietly, shooting Eri a look. "Kagome's not feeling well, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Eri muttered, tilting her chair backwards. "Anyways...come on, Yuka. You and I have some men to grab." She winked at Yuka, who quickly stood.

When the two were gone, Ayumi reached out to gently touch Kagome's arm. "Maybe you should go home early...? You really don't look too well, Kagome." She touched the other girl's cheek, frowning. "You've got a bit of a fever...and with how frail you've been lately..."

"I'm fine," Kagome said a bit sharply. Ayumi looked hurt at her tone, and Kagome grimaced. "Sorry," she admitted. "It's just...if I admit I'm sick, I'm going to be forced to stay home...I just need to get that test over with tomorrow morning, and then I'll take the rest of the day off to rest. Thank you for worrying, Ayumi."

Ayumi gave her a reassuring smile. "You're our friend. At least, you're mine. The other two are kind of wandering off, you know? I don't really like the path they're heading towards, so... Go on and head home, Kagome. I'll bring you the rest of the day's notes if you want. You need some more rest if you want to survive that test tomorrow."

Kagome bit her lip. "Are you sure?" Ayumi beamed and nodded and the miko stood, smiling faintly at her. "Thank you, Ayumi. Can I, err, borrow your phone to call my mom? She'll send Inuyasha to pick me up..."

"The boyfriend, right?" Kagome nodded. "I don't care what the other two say, but this guy sounds like a good one. You keep him, Kagome, never mind what Yuka and Eri tell you about getting together with Hojo." Ayumi winked, handing over her phone, and Kagome found herself smiling broadly at the other girl, deciding that there was at least one person outside of her family that she still enjoyed hanging out with.

Only a couple minutes later, Inuyasha was there, finding her with ease just outside of the school grounds, a hat placed firmly on his head to hide his ears. He arched an eyebrow at her. "Told you not to go today, stupid."

"Shut up and take me home, dog boy," Kagome mumbled back. He rolled his eyes, sweeping the miko up onto his back before taking off, easily leaping up onto the roof of the school and using it to propel himself forward.

By the time they reached Higurashi Shrine, she was out cold, her head lolling softly on his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>( Glossary )<strong>

**-Okaa-san:** mother

* * *

><p><strong>( AN )**

And things slowly begin to grow worse! Gotta love Inuyasha being all sweet and bringing her food though. ;)

* * *

><p><strong>( Reviews )<strong>

**IndigoArcher89: **I will agree to that, lol.

**EurydicesRevenge:** Interesting username you've got there... And perhaps we'll find out what the poison completely does soon. ;)

**Larissa:** I totally agree. Poor innkeeper. Yet he still let them stay.

**Guest:** I'm glad! I aim to entertain!


	4. Metallic

Claws gently grazing the flesh of the miko's hips when her shirt rode up, Inuyasha lightly placed her down beside the Bone-eater's Well, growling softly as he inhaled her scent, searching out any strange scents. He wasn't a complete idiot; he had felt the change in her weight the second he'd picked her up. It was a minute change, one that normally wouldn't have caused him any worry, but with the way the girl had been eating lately...

Reluctant to let her go, he pulled his claws away, ears swiveling as he listened for danger. "Oi. You sure you don't want to stay for another day, get some more sleep?" He hesitated, then reached out to gently poke one of the dark circles beneath her eyes. "You still look sick."

"Thanks for the compliment," she said sarcastically, too tired to do anything but glare at him. She adjusted the backpack on her back, ignoring its heavy weight. She hadn't slept well the night before, and Inuyasha was more than aware of it. She'd attempted to rest in his lap again, only to be restless most of the night, her protector no longer able to keep the nightmares that plagued her out of her head. "Let's just go. I need to get moving again. I bet it'll help."

"Dunno about that." Silently, he plucked the heavy bag from her, shouldering it. She shot him a grateful look. "The first snow will be here within the next few days. It usually brings a few youkai along with it...I wanna stay and make sure no idiot here gets eaten."

Kagome let a smile grace her lip. "Fine, I guess we can stay in the village until the snow passes...but I've never seen you so intent on staying here. Usually you want to get up and move. Are you sure you're not the one feeling sick?"

The inu hanyou puffed out a bothered huff, gently nudging her forward, keeping a close eye on her, making sure she was okay as they began the return to Kaede's Village. She was stumbling even now, exhausted, but determined to walk and he didn't want to earn a trip to the ground. "I'm not the one who refuses to eat, wench," he said rather sharply. He was getting testy about this, Kagome had noticed the night before when he'd simply shoved a piece of food into her mouth again and firmly keeping his hand over her mouth so she couldn't spit it back out, forcing her to chew and swallow before she'd simply bit his hand.

"I'm sorry that the idea of food makes me sick," the miko retorted, then mumbled, "Can we just go back now? If we're going to be hanging about, I'm going to get some sleep...I'm tired and my head is hurting again."

Concern for the miko he considered his made him nearly whine. Whatever was wrong with her had been growing worse, slowly but surely. She refused to eat, was constantly tired, and now was having nasty headaches that had begun to bring tears to her stormy eyes, which had begun to lose their usual lively gleam. "You're talking to the old woman," he said suddenly, ignoring her complaints as he knelt in front of her, waving for her to get on his back. He wasn't going to risk her hurting herself because she was being too stubborn.

Despite her grumbling protest, the miko finally swathed her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his as he picked her up. Happy to not have to deal with the moving around, she closed her eyes, her breathing soft yet hoarse. "Fine," she mumbled. A moment later, she gave a quiet cough. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at the strange smell on her breath, his grip tightening slightly on her thighs. She didn't seem to notice, instead gave a small sigh and dozed off.

Inuyasha growled under his breath, trying not to wake her. _Damn it,_ he thought, _what the hell is going on?!_

He took off at a careful jog, then took a bounding leap into the trees, jumping from branch to branch as he cautiously made sure not to jostle her as much as possible. Within a few minutes he'd reached the village, dropping silently in front of the doorway just as Miroku stepped out. The houshi swore, jumping and staring at Inuyasha with wide eyes and a nasty red mark on his cheek. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "You touch Sango again?"

"I couldn't help it," Miroku protested, sighing softly under his breath. "Her lovely body calls to my hand..."

"Hentai," Inuyasha grunted, then pushed past him and ducked inside, listening silently as Miroku's shokujo staff jingled. He studied the inhabitants of the hut. Kirara and Shippo were nowhere to be found, probably playing somewhere outside, and Sango was sitting beside Kaede, listening to the elderly woman talk intently about something or another. Inuyasha gave a small growl to interrupt. "Oi."

Sango glanced up, then gave a small gasp, climbing to her feet. "Is she okay?! What happened?! I thought-"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, nudging the miko awake. "Wench. Time to get up. You can nap on the floor now." She stirred, blurrily blinking her eyes open and he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, woman, you're drooling on me."

"I am not," Kagome argued heatedly, though her voice was slurred with drowsiness. She waited until Inuyasha had set her down, then smiled faintly at Kaede and Sango. "Hello. Sorry I took so long, I figured another day with my family wouldn't be such a bad idea...I brought treats for everyone."

"That's not important right now," Sango said fiercely, reminding Inuyasha of a mother bear as she swept Kagome's bangs from her forehead and lightly pressed her wrist over the skin there. "Kagome, you've got a bit of a fever...you need to get some rest..."

"I'm not sick though," Kagome protested, pinching the bridge of her nose. She made a face. "I mean, yeah, I'm tired and my head hurts, but-"

"Wench, you're sick," Inuyasha growled, giving her a dirty look. "You're not eating. Now shut up and go sleep." Ignoring the glower on his back, he jerked a thumb in the miko's direction and turned his attention on Kaede. "You know how to fix her?"

Kaede chuckled, noting the worried look on the inu hanyou's face. "That depends on what ails the girl, Inuyasha. She may have a simple illness or she might have eaten something that does not sit well with one's stomach...have ye eaten anything strange, Kagome?"

"No," Kagome replied, taking off her shoes as Sango went to pull a futon out for her. "Nothing strange..."

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head and he furrowed his brow, searching his memories. Suddenly, however, he swore and a thunderous look appeared on his face. "Inuyasha," Sango said sharply, "What is it that you're not saying? We can't exactly help Kagome if you don't tell us what you're thinking."

Inuyasha shook his head, ears flattened against his head as he glanced at the miko as she flopped onto the futon with a soft moan of relief. "That bitch we came across," he growled. He waved Sango closer so that Kagome wouldn't hear, not wanting to stress her out and make her feel even worse. "Told ya about Awairyuu, didn't we?"

"What did she say again?" Sango said, a dark look appearing on her face as she thought it over. "Something about something preferring the human system...that weird thing you smelled, Inuyasha. _What _did it smell like?"

"Something burning." He wrinkled his nose. "Hurt like hell when I breathed it in, but the wench was on the ground choking."

Sango contemplated for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't remember hearing of anything like that before, Inuyasha...maybe she just reacted badly to it. She'll get over this bout of illness in a few days. Kagome's strong, and a miko on top of that." She smiled reassuringly at the hanyou. "We'll give her today and tonight to rest, then head out to hunt down Naraku again tomorrow. If she's tired, you can carry her. Or Miroku and I can head out and you can stay back to protect her...if someone knows she's ill, they'll come after the Shikon no Tama shards in an instant..."

Inuyasha huffed, glancing at his miko. She was out, not even stirring when Shippo cam scampering in with Kirara hot on his heels, curling up beside her in an instant to catch a few moments of napping with her. "She'll be fine. I'll carry her. If she gets any worse, I'll drag her back to get some rest."

"Are ye sure that's what is best for her, Inuyasha?" Kaede calmly surveyed the hanyou with a stern look. "Kagome is young and healthy...or was, I suppose. But it may make her illness worse if ye drag her around the country side."

"She'll be fine," Inuyasha repeated, rolling his eyes. His ears twitched as he dropped down to sit near her, his arms folded across his chest. "Just drop it, ya old hag."

Tired, Kagome lifted her head to give him a drowsy glare, irritated at being awaken by a loudly speaking inu hanyou. "Osuwari, loud mouth," she growled, then snuggled back down to nap as Inuyasha's face slammed into the wooden floor.

* * *

><p>Laughter filled the chilly autumn air as Miroku and Sango chattered with Shippo about something the kitsune kit had accomplished during their stay at Kaede's village. Not too far behind them trotted Kirara, who was followed by an irritable looking Inuyasha and exhausted Kagome, who was unnaturally subdued as she leaned against Inuyasha, stumbling every few steps yet refusing to be carried. "C'mon, wench," he growled. "You're practically falling over."<p>

"Sorry," she mumbled, scrubbing a hand down her face with a muffled sigh. "I don't want to be carried though...I need to walk, it'll help keep me awake."

"If you need to sleep, sleep," he growled in response, annoyed as he tugged on a piece of her dark hair. She merely swatted tiredly at his hand, leaning against his arm again. The hanyou hesitated for a moment, then finally draped his arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her closer. She shot him a grateful look, resting her head on his shoulder.

They remained this way for a while, and the rest of the group pretended not to notice them. Inuyasha's ears pricked forward suddenly, however, and he sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Careful," he called to Miroku and Sango in a warning, "We've got a youkai hanging about. Don't know if it'll bother us, but it's better to keep an eye out for it."

"Got it," Sango agreed with a small smile back at their friends. She scooped up Shippo, who'd glanced back with a frown and opened his mouth, whispering a lecture to the boy with a fierce look in her eyes. "Could you go check it out, Inuyasha?" She glanced at Kagome as she released Shippo. "We'll keep an eye on her."

"You better," he growled with a threatening hint in his voice. He glared at her for a moment, then gently shrugged himself free of the half-asleep miko leaning on him. He sniffed at her head for a moment, then muttered, "I'll be back, wench, stay with them. Got it?"

"Yeah," Kagome murmured, yawning. "Be careful." She patted his red-clad arm, and the inu hanyou rolled his eyes before bounding off, disappearing amongst the trees. She glanced at Miroku and Sango, and the houshi gave her a reassuring grin.

"Come on, Kagome," He said cheerfully, waving her forward and pausing to wait for her. Sango stopped as well, and Kagome quickly joined them before they started on their way, the two awake adults watching Shippo and Kirara carefully. "Feeling any better today?"

Kagome hesitated before forcing a smile to her face, wincing at the pounding in her head. "A little," she lied, correcting herself hastily as she tripped over a rock in the path they walked along. She straightened the modern time vest she'd shrugged on after waking up that morning. She'd long since stopped wearing her middle school outfit, changing into jeans and long-sleeved shirts and coats alongside boots in preparation for the cold that would soon be coming, but even now, wearing a vest that usually kept her warm, she was chilled. "I ate a little bit at breakfast, so."

Not _completely_ a lie...though that breakfast had been a tiny crumb that Inuyasha had convinced Shippo to sneak down her throat. She'd left immediately when it had suddenly threatened to come back up, relieved that she had been alone when it had.

"Good!" Sango looked relieved, and Kagome grimaced guiltily. She hated lying to the trusting taijiya. "Do you sense any shards nearby...?" Kagome silently shook her head and disappointment crossed Sango's face. "We haven't found some since..."

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Miroku cut her off, violet eyes worried. She shot him a grateful look, not in the mood to remember her brother. "We'll- Kagome? Are you okay?"

The miko had stopped dead in her tracks, frowning at her hand, which was now slicked with red. "Y-yeah," she muttered, reaching for the tissues she kept in her backpack's side pocket. "Just a bloody nose...the air's dry, so, you know, nothing to worry about..." She pressed the tissue to her nose, grimacing. She knew exactly what was going to happen now. Inuyasha was going to come and throw a fit. And she'd end up being forced to be carried.

And it wasn't even a minute later that a growling hanyou was shoving his face aggressively near hers. "What happened?" he demanded, a deadly look on his face. Kagome flushed, swatting his face away so that she had room to breathe. "Damn it, wench, I leave for two seconds-"

"Kagome says she has a nosebleed," Shippo reported, scampering up onto the inu hanyou's shoulder. Inuyasha's ears twitched when a slight breeze blew over them.

"It's not that bad," Kagome reassured, smiling faintly at Inuyasha past the tissues pressed against her nose. "What about that youkai?"

"Dealt with," he muttered, sniffing furiously at her head and ignoring the roll of the eyes he received from Sango. "Feh. C'mon. The day's almost over anyways and there's a village just up ahead. Saw it while I was dealing with the youkai...we'll stop there for the night."

"What's this?" Miroku said with a grin, arching an eyebrow at the hanyou. "Are you suggesting we stop before night has fallen, Inuyasha? Okay, okay, let's go to the village." He held his hands up in surrender.

"We don't have to stop," Kagome protested, smacking at Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha, we can't-"

"We're stopping at the village and that's final," he snapped, glaring at her furiously. She flinched, lowering her gaze immediately, and he huffed, impatiently shoving his hands in his sleeves. "You said you were tired, didn't you? You can get some more sleep and try to eat a bit."

"Try" meaning he'd attempt to shove some kind of food into her mouth again, nearly strangling her in the process. "Thank you, Inuyasha, but I'm not-" He gave her a look that just dared her to continue what she'd planned on saying, and she hastily moved to correct herself. "Thank you," she repeated, then gave a faint smile that held no true happiness. Realizing the bleeding had stopped, she hurried to put the tissues in a pocket to toss away at a later time.

Never before had Kagome wanted to sit there and do nothing. Before she'd joined her friends, when she was just a normal girl in school, the miko had constantly been busy. Whether it be hanging out with her friends, doing homework, or even playing with Buyo as she watched the TV, she'd never had idle hands.

But now...Kagome found herself wanting to either sleep or just...relax. She didn't want to get up and walk around like she knew she had to. She didn't want to fight or search for the shards of the jewel she'd destroyed. No, Kagome wanted to sit there and not do anything.

And she hated it, she realized as she finally gave in and held her arms out to Inuyasha in a silent pleading that made him smirk and twitch his ears before willingly gathering up onto his back, where she leaned heavily into his warm body and rested her chin on his shoulder and her head against his. "Thanks," she mumbled under her breath as he started forward, not waiting for their friends to come with them.

"Feh," he muttered, letting a soft rumble rise in his chest. Miroku and Sango hurried after the duo, both exchanging anxious looks. "We're heading back to the old hag's," he called back suddenly, glancing over his shoulder at the startled houshi and taijiya. "The wench needs to get better so we can actually get a move on."

Kagome's lips parted in shock as Shippo scampered up onto the hanyou's free shoulder, peering into his sharp eyes. "Are you okay, Inuyasha? You're _never_ offering to stop," the kitsune kit accused.

When Inuyasha raised a threatening fist, Kagome stopped him by placing a simple touch of her lips to his cheek, grateful. He froze, even going as far as to stop walking in his uncertainty of how to respond to an action, and Shippo cackled at the look on the hanyou's face as he leaped to the safety of Miroku's shoulder. Stammering for a moment, he finally snarled, "FEH!", then continued on his way, shoving past Miroku and Sango, both of which who were laughing.

From her place on his back, Kagome giggled as well, tightening her grip around his neck.

Hidden from her view, he gave a hint of a smile as well. But his smile was tight, unhappy, as he could smell the familiar rustic scent of blood on her breath.

* * *

><p>"Damn it!"<p>

The sudden explosion of fury from the tired miko made her companions jump in surprise. Even Kirara left her side to curl up in her mistress's, studying Kagome with wide red eyes as she struggled to mop up her bloody face at the same time that a blindingly painful headache raged on in her head. Inuyasha let loose a small whine, slipping over to help her, his ears pinned against his head. A drowsy Shippo watched with a horrified look on his small face.

"I'm sorry," Kagome mumbled as Sango stirred from her uneasy sleep. Miroku, too, glanced up, blinking blurily at the two. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake anyone!" She cupped her hands beneath her nose, making a face of disgust as the blood dripped wildly, unlike the small amount from earlier in the day.

"Stop your fucking apologizing, bitch," Inuyasha snarled, worry making his words short and cruel. Kagome shot him a look, but it was more of a terrified one then an angry one. It only made him angrier, and he threw away his hatred of having her blood on his claws, using his sleeve to press against her nose in hopes to staunch the bleeding. She protested, but he ignored it, firmly pressing it to her face though careful so that she could breathe. "S'not your fault your bleeding like a stuck pig."

Kagome scowled. "Don't compare me to a pig, Inuyasha," she warned, then suddenly coughed, grimacing as blood filled her mouth. She spat it out silently, letting it join the blood from her nose, deciding it had simply spilled past her lips. Nausea swirled through her and she found herself glad she hadn't eaten anything for supper.

Shoving away from where she'd been sleeping, Sango crawled over on her hands and knees, kneeling beside her and gently rubbing the miko's back. "Something's wrong...this can't possibly just be sickness, Kagome...you two need to head straight back to Kaede's first thing, see if she can help. We'll catch up later in the day."

"I'm not-"

Inuyasha's free hand slammed viciously through the floor they sat upon, his golden eyes giving off a look that promised violence should she not listen to him. "Say it _one_ more time, wench, and I'm leaving you for Naraku to find."

"_Inuyasha_," Sango protested as Miroku sighed, studying the miko carefully.

Shippo scampered up onto Miroku's head, curling up there after deciding it was the safest place to sleep at the moment. "She'll be okay," he muttered, closing his eyes. Miroku glanced up, rolling his eyes before plucking the kitsune off and setting him down, off to the side. "I'll go see if we can get a tub of water so that you can clean up when the blood stops," he said kindly to Kagome and Inuyasha, standing swiftly. "Just focus on getting it to slow."

"Thank you, Miroku," Kagome said gratefully, her raven-colored head moving to rest tiredly against Inuyasha's shoulder. The hanyou didn't seem to notice, his fangs clenched in fury. His entire form was tensed, and Kagome noticed immediately. Hesitant, _very_ aware of the blood that slicked her hand, Kagome let one hand move to brush her fingers along his cheek, where she was shocked to see a faded violet stripe. His golden eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Inuyasha," she choked out, ignoring the blood that trickled into her mouth, "Calm down."

He looked more like a scared child as he rasped back, "You're bleeding all over the place, woman, I'm not going to _calm down_."

"Please?" She spat into her free hand. Another wave of nausea swept over her and she moaned softly, doubling over.

"You're youki level is extraordinarily high," Sango explained as the shoji door suddenly slid open and Miroku stepped in. Shippo watched them all tiredly from slitted green eyes beside Kirara. The houshi held a bucket of water under one arm and a couple rags in the other.

"Here," he said, offering Inuyasha one to help the miko mop up her face. "I told the owner of the inn of her problem and he said to press it against her nose in hopes that it would stop." He set the bucket down beside them, then crouched, studying Inuyasha warily. "And Sango's right; your youki is high enough that I could feel it half way across the inn, Inuyasha. Listen to Kagome; you need to calm down. If you don't, you'll attract other youkai and we could be in some serious trouble."

Inuyasha growled in response, looking frustrted, but inhaled sharply and let it out in a whoosh of air that brushed against Kagome's bangs. Kagome gave him a relieved look, then let him press the cloth gently against her face. Finally, a few minutes later, the blood began to slow, and rather then trying to stop it, Inuyasha set his cloth aside in favor of snatching up a clean one to help her clean up. He pressed the cloth gently against her lips and Kagome met his gaze with a look of exhaustion. "We'll go back as soon as the blood's off," he muttered, "Kaede should have somethin' to help."

Sango lightly brushed the miko's hair out of her face, grimacing when she realized it was sticky with blood. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I shouldn't have said it would be okay for her to travel...this isn't normal. Miroku, would you go with me to my village? This is unlike any illness I've ever seen, maybe there's something there that can help us."

Inuyasha's ears swiveled backwards and then pricked when Kagome began to speak quietly. "It's stopped. I just...hand me the tub of water?" Inuyasha's clawed hand darted out to drag it over, careful not to slosh the water, and dipped the cloth he'd been using to clean her face in the water. Kagome tried to pull it from his hands, but he refused, doing it himself.

Giving up, Kagome just rested her head back against the wall, closing her eyes with a soft sigh. Inuyasha expertly swiped at the blood, nodding curtly when Sango asked if she could help.

"I don't think this is an illness, Sango," Miroku said suddenly, looking thoughtful as he spoke. "Kagome has not come into contact with _anything_ that would make her this ill...but Inuyasha. You mentioned Awairyuu saying something about something preferring the human body...? I know you went over this with Sango earlier, but..."

Inuyasha jerked in shock, a snarl leaving his lips. "There was something in the air...it burned my throat. She told me to go back with the Shikon no Tama...she's a demon of poisons."

Sango swore in a way the others were unused to, glaring at nothing in particular. "She's like Mukotsu, then...this could get nasty..." Kagome bit her lip, looking nervous now, and she touched her arm soothingly. "I'll go back to my village immediately. Come on, Miroku, Shippo. Kirara! We need to get a move on, see if we can find anything to help her..."

"Right. Inuyasha, take Kagome to Kaede's after she's cleaned up," Miroku ordered, gathering up his staff. Inuyasha gave a curt nod and sped up his work, going as far as to use his sleeves to clean her face up. Kagome scrubbed at her cheeks and lips with water, grimacing at the salty metallic tang of blood that touched her tongue.

* * *

><p>Inuyasha's hands were unusually soft and gentle as he tucked the miko safely onto his back, twisting his head to sniff at her head and make sure she was alright. She squeezed her arms around his neck gently to reassure him. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all sat atop Kirara nearby. The small kistune kit looked terrified, his hands lightly fisted in Kirara's fur. "We'll hurry and see what we can find," Miroku told the inu hanyou, "And then rush back to Kaede's. You keep Kagome safe, alright? Don't take her back home until we get back with news...we don't want to panic her family."<p>

"Right," the hanyou grunted, growling softly. Kagome didn't bother to tell him to stop; instead, the miko buried her face in his shoulder. "Hurry up, got it? Don't take forever."

"We won't," Sango promised quietly, then whispered to Kirara. The nekomata youkai leaped into the air with a roar, disappearing into the darkened sky.

"You alright back there, wench?" Inuyasha muttered to Kagome, lightly squeezing her jean-clad thighs in hopes that she would respond. Exhausted, she simply nodded, nuzzling into his shoulder for comfort. He sniffed at her a final time, making sure there wasn't any more blood leaking from her for the time being, then darted forward, his ears flat against his head as he leaped from the roof of a home and disappeared into the trees, hoping to get back to Kaede's before it started back up again.

* * *

><p><strong>( Glossary )<strong>

**-nekomata:** Neko means cat, but this is the type of youkai that Kirara is.

* * *

><p><strong>( AN )**

It appears that they've figured out the true problem at last! Hopefully they can get started on a cure now, yes? ;) Sorry for the wait! I haven't been feeling well for quite some time, so.

* * *

><p><strong>( Reviews )<strong>

**IndigoArcher89:** As you hoped, it has been figured out! Lol. And I've always felt as if Ayumi was the best out of those three for some reason, the others just...don't seem quite as understanding.

**Larissa:** I'm glad you think so. I agree with your thoughts. :P

**Krissy:** I'm glad! You'll have to wait to see what it does to Kagome though, 'cause it's far from being finished. ;)


	5. Hard to Swallow

Kagome's eyes opened dully as Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders gently to wake her up, a look of concern in the hanyou's eyes. "I'm okay," she reassured when he growled softly, claws digging into her thighs and piercing her jeans. She rested her head against his, her gaze taking in where they were. Near Kaede's village, she realized a moment later, biting her lip. They were almost there. And then she'd sleep for who knew how long.

But, it appeared, they would not be reaching there as soon as she'd hoped. Suddenly, Inuyasha skidded to a halt, his lips pulling back into a snarl and his ears flattening to the top of his head. His hand dropped to the Tetsusaiga. "You," he growled.

Awairyuu stepped out from behind a tree, her pale eyes amused. "Yes," she hummed. "Me." She examined her claws, tilting her head. "It is nice to see such a lovely hanyou at this time of morning, yes? And you...hello, miko." She playfully wiggled her fingers at the exhausted woman, a smirk appearing on her face when Kagome didn't respond. "Hm, I guess mikos work differently then ordinary humans, then? I see you've already figured me out, yes?"

"Bitch," Inuaysha snarled, finding himself unable to do anything with a half-conscious miko on his back. He glared viciously at her, and she merely threw her head back and laughed in response at his helplessness.

"I told you," she chided, tapping her head thoughtfully. "Bring me the shards of the Shikon no Tama when you're ready. I'll give you what you need. Yes? Good. I'll see you when you're ready to stop the suffering you'll absolutely _love_ watching..." She turned away.

"Oi."

She turned back to study the hanyou's angry golden gaze. "Yes?"

"Answer me one question, bitch," he growled, "You're working for Naraku, aren't you?"

She smirked. "Why, of course. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. Goodbye, hanyou...miko." Without another word, the ryuu youkai was gone, disappearing into the trees.

Inuyasha stared after her angrily, longing to chase after her, and was startled when Kagome pressed a palm to his cheek. "Go after her, Inuyasha...I'll be okay right here." She forced a faint smile to her face, but he saw right through it.

"I'll hunt her down after you're safe at Kaede's," he muttered in response, briefly nuzzling her forehead. He could smell the oncoming scent of blood. And it concerned him. Growling softly, he took off at a lope, leaping over trees and buildings upon reaching the village. He reached Kaede's just as the sticky liquid came again, and Kagome groaned in annoyance, cupping her hands beneath her face as Inuyasha set her down. He rapped impatiently on the side of the hut, waiting until a tired looking Kaede appeared. Kaede blinked in surprise, her eye wide with shock at the sight of Kagome. "Take care of her," Inuyasha snapped, "I have to go check something out." He paused, leaning closer to Kagome to mutter, "Shout if ya need me, wench," and then was gone, darting away.

"Come, child," Kaede murmured, soothingly touching Kagome's arm as she guided her inside. "Tell me what has happened when the blood stops...I have some herbs that will help with it..."

This nosebleed didn't last as long as the previous one, though it was accompanied by a piercing headache. Kagome pressed her cleaned fingers to her temples with a grimace of pain as she told Kaede of what they'd figured out, and the elderly miko listened with careful intent, aware of the ill look on her face. "All we can do is hope that Miroku and Sango find something," she told Kagome in a gentle and wizened cracked voice. Kagome bit her lip, looking frustrated when another flash of pain went through her. "Rest, Kagome, I'll wake ye when Inuyasha returns."

"Thank you," Kagome said gratefully, then moved to take the futon Kaede waved at. Kaede nodded, smiling warmly, then set to work on preparing a breakfast that would be able to feed a starved miko - though she doubted Kagome would eat - and a hanyou that didn't know how to stop eating along with herself.

The sun had begun to rise when Inuyasha finally showed back up, his red haori and hakama stained with green and broken twigs littering his silver hair. Kaede looked at him questioningly and he gave her a dirty look. "Don't ask," he muttered, going immediately to check on his wench. After making sure she was merely asleep and not bleeding, he demanded, "Was it bad?"

Kaede pursed her lips, making her old face crease with more wrinkles then usual. "It was a heavy bleeding...it is concerning, Inuyasha. If this...Awairyuu is truly behind this, then Kagome will need to fight. Ye must figure out how to get some food into the child...I could feel her bones when I was helping her. It will make her more prone to lesser illnesses, Inuyasha. She started coughing while ye were away. I believe your presence helps, however, so perhaps the coughing will go away."

Growling in frustration, Inuyasha dropped beside her, running his fingers through the miko's softened yet lifeless hair, frowning. It lacked its usual luster. "I'm trying," he muttered, "It comes back up as soon as I've managed to get it down, though."

"All I can suggest," the elderly woman answered tiredly, "is to continue trying, Inuyasha. There is not much either of us can do until Miroku and Sango return. Keep her warm, let her rest. Try and get her some food. I will speak with some of the other elders of the village. They may have heard of such things before. They should be awake now." She ducked out of the hut without another word, leaving the inu-hanyou to worry over Kagome alone.

* * *

><p>The second Kirara had landed among the once lively homes of the taijiya's village, Sango was throwing herself from the nekomata's back. Miroku copied, scrambling after her as she darted immediately for the home that had once belonged to her. It was not quite as ruined as the others; she was thankful for that. Their archives were still safe, then. She shoved aside a few broken planks with the houshi's help, then stopped to take a moment to breathe.<p>

Shippo and Kirara came scampering in, watching the adults work with anxious expressions on their face. "Sango?" Shippo finally said. The peace he'd held hours before was gone, as if he'd finally grasped the seriousness of the situation. "Can we help?"

"Pull out scrolls, hand them to us," Sango instructed, hauling out a few scrolls to start off with. "Miroku, start reading. If you see anything with symptoms similar to Kagome's, let me know."

The group fell into a moment of silence as they work, Miroku and Sango pouring over the scrolls with a determined aura about them. Shippo scurried back and forth between the stacked scrolls and the two adults and Kirara kept guard at the doorway, her narrowed red eyes searching the skies for any sign of danger.

"Sango," Miroku said suddenly, shoving all but one scroll out of his lap and practically crawling over the mound between them. He shoved the one in her hands out of her grasp, then set the one he'd found in her lap. "This..."

Sango scanned the contents of the scroll with narrowed cinnamon eyes. Suddenly, she clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth hard enough that Miroku could hear the sound. "Not good," she breathed, shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is not good at all...Kagome's in serious trouble, Miroku. We need to get a move on...there's still a chance we can fix it, but this late into the symptoms..." Her eyes glassed over, her face paling. Fear made its way into the taijiya's heart. Already they could be too late.

"Sango." Warm and calloused hands gently cupped her cheeks. Her gaze snapped up to Miroku's serious violet eyes, and he gently swept his thumbs along her jawbone. "Sango," he repeated, "you need to relax. Causing yourself to panic will only make our job that much harder. Breathe." Sango rolled her eyes, glaring now and he couldn't help but smirk lightly before pulling his hands away. "Now. What do you need Shippo and I to do?" He gestured towards the nervous kitsune. "Do you want he and I to begin working on a cure while you go show Inuyasha and Kagome what has been discovered...?"

Sango bit her lip, contemplating what needed to be done. "There are certain ingredients that only I know the way to, however," she said with a groan. "...Shippo," she added suddenly, whirling to face the startled kitsune kit. He blinked at her, frowning. "Could you get back to Kaede's safely?"

"Uh, I think so," Shippo answered nervously. "Why?"

"Kagome," Sango explained gently, "is very ill. We need to get her something that will make the illness go away, but you need to take this scroll to Inuyasha so he knows what's wrong with her...can you do that for me?"

Shippo gave them a rolling of his eyesl. "I'm not a kid, Sango, I know what's going on." Nevertheless, the kitsune kit took the scroll and scurried outside, turning into a large pink balloon-like creature and disappearing off into the day.

Kirara turned her gaze on Sango, and the taijiya began to gather up their possessions, shoving the unusable scrolls out of their way. "Come on, we have some herbs to go gather up, Miroku. First one's a good two days travel from here and we need to get past some venomous hebi-youkai. Hope you've got some sutras ready, I think they'd mess up your Kazanna pretty good."

Miroku sighed, shifting his staff to the crook of his arm as he checked his stash of sutras. A thick bundle met his fingertips and he grinned. "I think I will be alright, my dear Sango. Shall we go and get what is needed to assist Kagome?"

Without another word, they ducked outside, Kirara guiding their way as she transformed in a ball of flames, her red eyes shining nervously. The nekomata had seen this poison used once before. She knew of it. More so then anyone else, she was sure. For it had been that poison in particular that had killed her own clan thousands of years before.

* * *

><p>Kagome grimaced, able to feel the glare of the inu-hanyou's sharp golden eyes on her face as she picked unhappily at the food in her lap. Finally, giving up, she just shoved it away, glaring at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, I'm not hungry, okay? Just...you have it."<p>

"Hell no," he retorted, baring his fangs irritably, hiding the nerves he felt and replacing them with anger. "Eat your own damn food, bitch. You need to eat."

"He's right, though he could calm down about it," Kaede sighed, glancing at the irritated miko. "Ye must eat, Kagome. It will not be good if your body is incapable of fighting off whatever ye may have." She took a bite of her own food, looking thoughtful. "I have placed herbs within the food. They should help with the symptoms. Ye need to eat it."

"Ugh," Kagome moaned, glaring at both of them though the look was half-hearted. She unhappily forced herself to take a bite, forcing it down...and then gagged as soon as she'd swallowed, her face twisting in disgust. She managed to keep it down, however, and completely ignored the food as she set it aside, hugging herself. She grimaced apologetically at the irritated look Inuyasha wore, then coughed quietly into her hand, her eyes drooping.

Despite having slept most of the day away, Kagome was still exhausted, longing to return to sleep. But at the same time, she didn't. Before they'd woken her to try and get her to eat, she'd been having nightmares, dreaming of watching the people she cared for dying over and over again...watching Naraku laugh as he struck down the very hanyou that was usually impossible to kill...

Her nails dug into her arms as she remembered the appendage slamming through Inuyasha's heart, tearing it from his chest as she screamed, unable to stop it from happening, and dread filled her. It would happen. She was sure. He'd get himself killed trying to protect her.

As if sensing the darkness of the ill miko's thoughts, Inuyasha shoved his own food aside and hopped over the cackling fire to settle beside her, only a few inches away. Ignoring the knowing smile on Kaede's face, he plucked Kagome up, claws gentle as he placed her in his lap, situated his long red sleeves in her lap to keep her warm, and wrapped his arms gently around her. His chin found purchase on top of her head, and his soft huff whisked her bangs from her face.

Kagome, eyes softening, smiled faintly and leaned back into his chest, taking comfort in his presence. "Thank you," she murmured just so he would hear. He grunted in response, not daring to say anything with Kaede sitting nearby.

Kaede chuckled, then said with a soft sigh, "Get some rest, Kagome. Ye will need it to defeat whatever illness ye have." The elderly woman gathered up the used utensils, preparing to go and clean them.

Kagome made herself even more comfortable in the inu hanyou's lap, and he waited until she had prepared to sleep there before readjusting his sleeves and such. And then, within a few seconds, Kagome was fast asleep, her head resting just over his heart.

They remained that way for quite some time. So when Shippo suddenly exploded through the doorway with a scroll in his hand, Inuyasha snarled viciously, scaring the hell out of the unconscious woman he held. Kagome shot up, knocking her head roughly on his chin, and Inuyasha yelped, claws accidentally nicking her arms when he slammed her back down. Kaede, who'd been working quietly on sewing something back together, gasped in pain when the needle she'd been using sliced her own finger.

"_Damn it, Shippo!_" Inuyasha shouted as Kagome gasped for air, heart pounding violently in her chest. "Be careful!"

Shippo's green eyes were round with shock at what had just occurred. But then he waved the scroll around, narrowing his eyes and sticking his tongue out at the hanyou. "Sango and Miroku found this and said to bring it here while they went and did stuff to find stuff for it."

Kaede sighed, setting aside her work and waving for the kitsune to hand the scroll over. Shippo scampered over to place it in her hand and Kaede waited until Kagome was comfortably situated in Inuyasha's lap again, drowsy but looking ready to hear what had been discovered. Inuyasha was alert, his golden eyes sharp and his ears pricked forward. Kaede carefully opened the scroll and scanned it with her good eye. She pursed her lips together in a grim look. "Ah," Kaede sighed, handing the scroll over to Inuyasha when he growled and held his hand out. "This does not seem good."

Kagome gently took it from the hanyou, her gaze gentle as she met his eyes tiredly before turning her attention on the scroll. Silently, Inuyasha scanned the parchment over her shoulder, returning his arm to its place around her waist. He tensed as he read, his body stiffening as a low growl began to spill from him. Silently, Kagome rested a hand against his arm at her waist without looking up. Despite the issue they now faced, Kaede smiled slightly at the sight. Only Inuyasha would decide to show such signs of affection when the miko was ill.

Her gaze darted to Shippo. "Miroku and Sango are out looking for supplies to make this cure it talks about? Right?"

"I think so," Shippo mumbled, frowning. "They didn't say for sure what they were doing."

"They need Awairyuu's blood and the herbs she used," Inuyasha growled, his golden eyes dangerously dark. "How the hell do they plan on getting _that_?" His ears had pinned themselves against his head, his grip nearly painfully tight around the miko in his lap now.

"Hey, loosen up," Kagome mumbled, tugging at his arm until he did. Then she patted his arm, twisting to look at him with a firm look. "I don't know, but they'll get it. Calm down. Maybe we can do something to help them find what they need."

"I don't think ye need to be doing any of the likes, Kagome," Kaede said quietly as she returned her sewing to her lap, firm as she spoke. "Ye need your rest. Get it while ye can. I am sure Inuyasha will see to it that what Sango and Miroku are unable to get will be retrieved by himself. It will be dangerous for humans to approach this youkai...only he will be able to deal with it."

"Like I'd let them get a chance at the bitch," he growled in agreement, propping his chin on Kagome's head with a dangerous look. His body trembled anxiously, though only she could feel it, and she smiled gently up at him. He didn't seem to notice, his anger overwhelming any of his other senses. "She's _mine_."

Kagome pursed her lips unhappily. "_I_ think you need to calm down and think this through. We haven't come across her until now. She's relatively new to the idea of the Shikon no Tama, Inuyasha. I think Naraku's put her up to it."

"He did," Inuyasha replied, narrowing his eyes. "She said as much, wench. Don't you remember?" He knocked gently on her forehead with a knuckle and she grimaced. "You were with me. Must have been somewhat out of it if you forgot this soon..."

Kagome gave a faint smile, simply curling up to sleep again only to swear softly when blood began to drip from her nose. "Can you-"

He didn't wait for her to finish, and merely pressed his sleeve to her face, a growl thundering out of his chest at the scent of her blood.

* * *

><p>"Got it?"<p>

"Yes, Sango," Miroku replied with exaggerated patience as he carefully tucked the leaves of the plant they'd been searching out into the pack he had brought with them. "I've got the leaves. They won't go anywhere, and I'm sure we won't need to come back. Are we stopping at the village first, or are we going to seek out the next part of the herb that we need?"

"We're going to go straight for the next one," Sango decided, stroking the anxious Kirara's head. She purred, leaning against the taijiya. "The sooner we have all of the herbs, the better. Besides. If my calculations are correct, then we only have about half of a moon cycle to get what we need before it's totally incurable."

"Right," Miroku murmured. He swung up onto Kirara's back, and Sango hurried to do the same. The nekomata roared before lunging into the air with a growl, easily bounding above the hebi-youkai that reared up beneath them. She ignored them as if they weren't there, as did the two riding upon her back. "Inuyasha must be furious," he muttered suddenly.

"Huh?" Sango glanced at him with curiosity, careful to hold onto her ponytail so it didn't smack him in the face. "What do you mean? Of course's he's furious, someone messed with Kagome."

"With himself, I meant," he corrected. "If I know him, he'll be blaming himself for this mess, Sango. We'll have to keep a very close eye on him if this doesn't end well. We don't know what he might do."

"He's not suicidal, Miroku," Sango protested sharply. "If anything, he'll go after Awairyuu without care or concern for the rest of us."

"Think about it, though," Miroku said softly, his violet eyes concerned over his thoughts. "Kagome keeps him decently civil. Though he won't admit it, he cares for her very, very deeply, Sango. If he were to lose her, what's to even consider stopping him if he wants to get the Shikon no Tama?"

Sango's expression became grim. "He wouldn't go after the Shikon no Tama to go full youkai though, Miroku. He doesn't even want that anymore. His youkai side terrifys him."

"Perhaps," Miroku said quietly, his voice wary, "He wouldn't wish to become full youkai, Sango. He just may wish for Kagome's revival if we fail in what needs to be done...of course, if we can get him to listen and convince him to ask Sesshomaru, we may have a chance..."

"She's not going to die," Sango barked out, glaring now at the houshi. "She'll be okay. We'll get the cure made for her, and she'll be perfectly fine, Miroku! Stop thinking such thoughts!"

Miroku shot her a look of reassurance. "I'm merely considering what will need to be done with anything that might happen, Sango, as you stated, I'm sure we'll get the cure. But it's better to be prepared, just in case."

"I guess so," the taijiya sighed, biting her lip in frustration. "But I don't think she'll die...the poison's effects will hopefully be at least prolonged with Kagome being a miko and all. It's a completely demonic poison, so there just _might_ be a chance that she'll be able to handle it..."

"Let's hope she can," Miroku said firmly. "C'mon, let's focus now on finding that next herb. We've already got the one, so we'll-"

They were interrupted when Kirara suddenly screeched and dove to the side to avoid something that shot up at them. Both humans winced and held on for dear life as Kirara righted herself. "Kirara?" Sango muttered, touching the nekomata's shoulder. "What's going on?" She roared in response, diving downward as another thing shot out of the trees beneath them.

"It's the hebi-youkai," Miroku gritted out, glaring now as Kirara swerved a third time. "Kirara! Land so we can deal with these...issues."

Sango readied Hiraikotsu, her eyes narrowed as Kirara swerved around another hurled object before landing easiliy, hissing warningly when a youkai reared up in front of her, followed by a second and then a third before a humanoid hebi-youkai suddenly appeared, glaring at them. "Why did you come?" he spat.

Sango didn't step off of Kirara's back, nor did Miroku. She studied the youkai for a few seconds, then said firmly, "We needed some herbs. We didn't trespass for no reason or to steal land of prey from you. We needed herbs to cure a poison that has been inflicted upon our friend, a miko that is assisting us in destroying a hanyou that is dangerous to even you, way out here. We're leaving now, I swear."

Miroku arched an eyebrow. Only Sango could get away with speaking so nicely to such a youkai when he knew she simply wanted to hurl the Hiraikostu for getting in their way. The youkai seemed to contemplate this information for a few moments, glaring at them. The hebi-youkai hissed their protests when he finally did answer. "Fine. Leave. But if you choose to ever return..." He let his threat trail off.

"We understand," Sango said smoothly, then whispered to Kirara. The nekomata sprang into the air, and the trio disappeared into the night.

* * *

><p><strong>( Glossary )<strong>

**-hebi:** snake

* * *

><p><strong>( AN )**

A cure has found! Yay! Now the issue happens to be getting it put together in time...

* * *

><p><strong>( Reviews )<strong>

**EurydicesRevenge:** I hope it was as interesting as you hoped. :) And if Inuyasha was pissed in the previous chapter, he's gonna be even more so soon! Lol.

**IndigoArcher89:** It appears she did...though it will be an issue putting it together, yes?

**Neo-Crystal:** Didn't exactly reveal that information completely just yet. Perhaps the next chapter will reveal more? ;)


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